THE HUNT FOR GOOD MICROPHONES is an interesting one. This section provides samples of some mics I have used. There are samples for individual microphones and comparisons between mics. If you have come straight to this page see the Equipment main page for a guide to this section.

Everyone loves recording . . .

. . . some just do it a little differently.

The left-hand photo shows the "studio" where Jonathan Cohen and Corinne Orde are recording. Comparative samples from these sessions are used on several of the microphones pages. The mics shown are the Neumann TLM 103s. It's a far from ideal place for recording as the room is fairly small and there are interruptions from street noise and even from Blackbirds in the gardens behind. The owl, Sophie, is getting curious about Klas Strandberg's Telinga mic, with which she's made quite a few recordings . . . as well as a lasting impression on the foam cover.

An important note!

I must begin with a warning: Tape recording birdsong can become addictive. Oh, it begins harmlessly enough, with the intention of just capturing a few bird sounds in the backyard, and using the simplest of equipment. "I just want to hear the spring thrush this winter, just to remind me in those darkest hours, that’s all." First the thrush, then the ovenbird, the robin, and then the inevitable. One after the other "needs" to be captured, better equipment is needed, a tape library is started, and then the traveling begins. Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you. Read on only if you dare.

Donald Kroodsma in The Singing Life of Birds, Houghton Mifflin, 2005, p. 402.

WELCOME to Jonathan's XMAS PARTY !

Every year Jonathan, Corinne's brilliantly versatile accompanist, holds a Christmas party. A really BIG party.

Well, several parties really, because four or five thousand people come to each one. To fit all those people you need a BI-I-IG big room.Like one of the biggest in London. And because Jonathan likes to have a piano to entertain . . and an orchestra . . plus a few dozen singers, that means somewhere like the Royal Albert Hall.

Mickey, his cat, who sometimes sings along with Corinne, has to stay at home, as does Sophie the owl. But it's all good fun. We've just come back from today's party.

Here are some pics of one of Jonathan's uproariously jolly singalong Christmas Carol parties. Good as several shots of vodka, I tell you.

Welcome to the party!

Far too many guests to show in one pic

Some party. Orchestra, choir, organ (out of sight) . . . and Jonathan (out front)

Tinkling the ivories . . .

. . . while co-star . . .

. . . Sophie-Louise Dann . . .

. . . does the hard work . . .

. . . tee hee! Only joking

. . . cos this is my party!!

The guests had a good time . . . and so did the entertainers, like the choir

Thanks to Raymond Gubbay for the pics. The concert illustrations are stills from a promo video that can be viewed from the website here, then click on "Christmas-Carol-Singalong.wmv" at the right.

Those who watched more telly than I did as a child will recognise Jonathan from programmes like Playschool, Playaway, Hit the Note! and Music Time (BBC) and The Music Game (Channel 4).

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